358 JDJ for Elk, any loads?

[Ravenwolf]

Just received my tag for a Colorado Antlered Elk.  Got lucky and drew one for the 1st Rifle Season.  I'm taking a couple of handguns but would like any recommendations on bullets for my 358 JDJ.  I use Nosler 225 grain Ballistic tips for whitetail here in NY but need a better constructed bullet for Elk.  I do have some 225 grain partitions but at a MV of 2280 they don't expand well at 150 - 200 yards.  Thought about using Speers 220 grain flat points that are built for the 356 Win or Hornady's 200 grain Spire Point (i get 2400+ fps with the Hornadys).  My other handguns are my 5-shot 45 Colt using CPBCs 335 grain LBTs for my belt gun and my 14" 444 Marlin contender barrel as a back up if something happens to the 358 JDJ.  Any help is appreciated...RW

[Robert]

50-52 grs AA 2520 with a 235 gr bullet.

[Mikey]

Ravingwolf:  Wow man, great luck getting your Colorado tag.  I have a friend in Boulder who wants me to come out and hunt but the lottery for tags has not yet been kind to me - possibly someday.  

Regarding your 358JDJ - there are 250 grain bullets for that caliber that hit really hard if you want to increase the bullet weight a bit.  But  if you are taking your 444 Contender why double the load.  With the 444, just about any handload with a 265 grain Hornaday softpoint or any of the Cor-Bon, Garret or Buffalo Bore loads for the 444 in either jacketted or cast configuration should be able to do what you want at the distances you specify.  

I don't have anything against the 358s, it's just that one of my all time favorites is the 444.  Cor-Bon advertises their 265 and 300 grain 444s, from a contender like yours, as having taken the African big 5, so I doubt you would have any problems with North American Elk, and the Cor-Bon loads are no better than you can load for yourself from any number of current manuals.  

Just my 2 centavos worth.  Mikey.

[Ravenwolf]

Robert, what 235 grain bullet are you using.  AA2520 is a great powder for the 358 and that is all I use in it with the 200 and 225 grain bullets.  It is also great in my 7mm Super Bower.

Mickey, the reason I have choosen the 358JDJ over the 444 Marlin as my lead gun is that over the past 15 years or so it has taken for me over 20 whitetail deer at ranges from 7 ft to just shy of 300 yards.  I know that with the right loads I can get close to 30-06 performance and should a long shot (for me) present itself I am confident I can make it with the 358.  The 444 Marlin has a more limited range ability although I will concede it is a sledgehammer....RW

[Graybeard]

Personally I think the Nosler 225 BT is the proper bullet to use. All the over .30 caliber BTs are constructed much more stoutly than the .30s and under. It is designed for use in the .35 Whelan on big heavy game and will hold up in the .358 JDJ. The front of the PT is made of soft lead. If it won't expand then nothing will. Either of those two will make excellent choices. If you are shooting so far that a Nolser PT or BT will not expand you are exceeding the range limits of your gun, it's as simple as that.

GB

[Ravenwolf]

Thanks Graybeard, I plan on keeping my shots under 250 yards on Elk no matter what caliber I'm using.  The closer the better.  The reason the partition was eliminated is that after talking with JD originally on this cartridge he stated that the partition would not be a reliable expanding bullet at this velocity unless shots were very close.  The BT, that I use on whitetail, expands very readily.  Hench my apprehension on using it on something as large as Elk....RW

[Nate C]

GB - I will be receiving a new (my first) 358 jdj bbl soon and have read your article on the first loads you tried with it.

Have you got any updates for us?   Any particular load accuracy-wise that really shines?   I'd be very interested in the data.

Thanks.

Nate C

[Robert]

My mistake.  It IS the 225 Nosler boat-tail, not a 235.  I forgot,...they sure are pretty bullets.  I havent taken an Elk with one yet, I was planning on it last year, but it was getting late and I wasnt sure of my shot so I took my bull with a rifle.  I really enjoy my Contenders, but when I am hunting for my year's supply of meat, I dont take any chances.
  I sure would like to see how these bullets perform on Elk, they look like a big varmint bullet with a white polymer tip, but they they say this bullet has excellent controlled expansion.
  By the way...I am not shooting the 358 JDJ.  I am using 358 JDJ data for my 356 Winchester barrel.  It has a smaller case than the JDJ and only fits 50 grs of 2520, but it seems plenty powerful.  If you start out with 50 grs, you should be able to work up to 52 grs if you want more.  I beleive this data came from Graybeard, this was the only good source of data I could find.  He also has a link somewhere on this site, and makes an interesting comparison of the 358 JDJ and the 375 JDJ.  G.B seems to favor the 358 for hunting and says that the bullets perform better with the 358 because of having a little more velocity than the .375, and the poor availability of pistol bullets for the 375.  Hornady makes a 220 gr flatnose, and they shoot real nice, but I have been told they are too soft for big game...from there you go to rifle bullets for the H&H and such and they dont expand well at the JDJ's velocity.  So from everything that I have read here, the 358 is an excellent choice.

[Graybeard]

I no longer own the .358 JDJ barrel so no additional data will be forth coming from me on it.

GB